Kepa Arrizabalaga spoke to the press after Arsenal qualified for the final four of the Carabao Cup.
The second choice shot stopper stood tall between the posts to be a difference maker, getting his hands to a spot kick from Maxence Lacroixas the only save in a lengthy penalty shootout. The nerves ramped up at the Emirates Stadium after a late leveller from Marc Guehi, but the Gunners got their wish with a win over Crystal Palace and the prospect of a double header against Chelsea.
“We are in the next round, we’re happy. I think we made a huge effort. We should have scored, I think, a couple in the first half. We played so well. Then the second half was more like 50-50.
“Even like this, we had good chances. We’ve conceded in a couple of games in the last minute so it’s something that we have to look at. And then credit to the guys, they took amazing penalties. They keep us in the game, and they give me an opportunity to make a save.
“Emotionally, you have to be focused, be strong, because obviously when you concede in the last minute and then you have to go to penalties, you need to 100 per cent be focused on your penalty takers, you need to save. So it was a change of mindset, and it worked.
“We’re prepared for everything, every possible scenario. We were playing against a very strong team, so that can happen.
“So we talked about it before. We have a very good group of goalkeepers, we talk between each other and try to be focused on the next penalty, always the next one.
“Right now, if you want a trophy, that’s something that we want. We have to fight against good teams. I think both semi-finals, are big games, it’s going to be tough, but we’ll prepare well the game. We’ll be ready and we’ll go for it.”
